The Seattle Sounders are finalizing a deal to acquire forward Dejan Joveljic from Sporting KC, according to multiple reports.
Joveljic, 27, will be expected to provide a boost to an anemic Sounders offense that has produced only 22 goals in 20 matches.
News of the Joveljic trade broke while Seattle (7-9-4, 25 points) was down 1-0 at halftime of Saturday’s eventual 1-1 draw at Cincinnati.
The Sounders have been hit by injuries to key players including attackers Jordan Morris (quad), Jesus Ferreira (hamstring) and Cristian Roldan (quad). According to reports, Seattle is renegotiating Albert Rusnak’s contract to clear a designated player spot, with the team’s other two being Morris and Pedro de La Vega, who is dealing with a quad injury.
The only team in the league to score fewer goals this season is Sporting KC (4-13-3, 15 points), who are now parting with their leading scorer. SKC will receive $6 million in a cash-for-player transfer for the designated player, according to The Athletic.
After scoring 21 goals and adding eight assists in 33 games to help the LA Galaxy win the MLS Cup in 2024, Joveljic was traded to SKC for $4 million. He has gone on to score 26 times in 52 appearances, including a career-best 18 in 32 regular-season appearances last season. Joveljic has eight goals and one assist this season.
The move would open a second DP spot for last-placed SKC, who will reportedly convert the maximum $3 million of the transfer fee to allocation money. They also spent $18 million to sign winger Andre Luiz and bought out midfielder Manu Garcia.
–Field Level Media
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